Google introduces Debian Linux terminal app for Android. My phone's a laptop at last!
Qualcomm claims that my Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus’ Snapdragon 8 Elite CPU is faster than the Intel Core Ultra 288V chip. My smartphone also has 12GB of RAM and 512GB of solid-state storage. In short, it’s more powerful than most of my laptops. So why not use it as a laptop?
Why not, indeed, says Google, which has introduced – at long last – a native Linux Terminal application in its March 2025 Pixel Feature Drop.
This is just a Linux VM just like th Crostini in ChromeOS, so I’d expect similar 40%+ performance loss compares to for example proot container through Termux running natively.
The only thing this could probably offer would be giving you better OS GUI Integration into Android, like Crostini on a ChromeOS device. But if that is needed you might as well just use an Android port or an Android equivalent of your Linux software anyway, it’s not like you’d ever want to run Matlab, GIMP or OpenFOAM on your Android phone with its tiny screen anyway LMAO
And I’m having issues writing / completing the install to /boot
Files are written to boot by the nixos-infect script, then disappear after sometime… If the VM is shutdown / rebooted I get the previously displayed unrecoverable error screen.
I remember running some linux distro on my G1 wayy back in the day. Idk if it was debian, but it was a formative learning experience for me since it taught me what “chroot” was.
Google just doesn’t understand that they’re killing off the only people who want to buy their shitting products. How many people use Androids? How many people use Pixels? I would feel most people want these phones because we’re tech savvy people who don’t want the abstracted stuff Apple sells.
Author faces regularly many issues when trying do make a new version of Termux to yet another set of googles demands or restrictions, sometimes unable to update play store version for years. As an (just) example, see this issue: https://github.com/termux/termux-packages/wiki/Termux-and-Android-10
Tested this on my Pixel 8a. Works as you would expect. Personally I have a little hard time coming up with use cases for this but I guess it’s kinda cool.
I have a phone that acts as a grid outage resistant p2p webserver. runs stuff like syncthing, briar mailbox, etc. i can see this being useful for that kinda stuff.
Nope. But as mentioned in the article, some support for display servers might be coming in Android 16.
Networking does work. I was able to install packages using apt and also ping machines on my local network. Could be useful.
I guess in a pinch it could be used to ssh into other machines. However, I’m sure there are plenty of SSH clients available for Android, which are much more lightweight solution than running a whole VM.
Does it have access to the same filesystem as Android? I’ve been looking for Android apps that can do something like dropbox’s “online only” feature. Most cloud storage providers offer that on desktop but I’ve never found one that works on Android. It’s just photo syncing or nothing usually, and even that doesn’t work like I want.
Also, can it run uninterrupted in the background or is android going to unceremoniously kill it randomly like it does with normal apps?
How does this work? The app doesn’t seem to have any settings related to it yet. Under /mnt in the VM I noticed folder shared that seems to match the downloads folder on my phone, which seems odd
Would be nice to have some alternative for my Note 10+ that is no longer getting updates. Seems it’s not popular enough to have an EOL root/custom rom made, so it’s just stuck. Seems a waste for a device with decent CPU/GPU and 12gb ram.
This doesn’t sound like proper linux to me. I want to be able to plug in a USB (or what ever the storage device would be, microUSB for phones I guess) and boot from that. Where 1 image works for any device of the same architecture. This is the main thing I dislike about ARM currently.
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Why do we want this when we can already install it via Termux?
This is native while termux is emulated, I think.
Life is full of choices, isn’t it.
Sadly not always good ones…
This is just a Linux VM just like th Crostini in ChromeOS, so I’d expect similar 40%+ performance loss compares to for example proot container through Termux running natively.
The only thing this could probably offer would be giving you better OS GUI Integration into Android, like Crostini on a ChromeOS device. But if that is needed you might as well just use an Android port or an Android equivalent of your Linux software anyway, it’s not like you’d ever want to run Matlab, GIMP or OpenFOAM on your Android phone with its tiny screen anyway LMAO
Glad you’re having fun
Like the Nokia N900 did back in 2004 - except it was a real mobile OS (but fully yours)
Man I feel I’d almost wiped the debian install and added NixOS (nix package manager works fine under debian) using nixos-infect
A clean install and a night’s sleep and I’ll probably forget I was attempting this, but looks promising.
And I’m having issues writing / completing the install to /boot
Files are written to boot by the nixos-infect script, then disappear after sometime… If the VM is shutdown / rebooted I get the previously displayed unrecoverable error screen.
Might be an easier way to achieve this.
Is this termux or what?
It’s a VM
I am pretty sure it was possible even like 15 years ago through unofficial app on Google Play. What’s new here?
It’s now official™
I remember running some linux distro on my G1 wayy back in the day. Idk if it was debian, but it was a formative learning experience for me since it taught me what “chroot” was.
deleted by creator
Sorry Google, PostmarketOS will scratch that itch and soon enough eat your lunch: https://postmarketos.org/
I like postmarketos, but lol. Lmao, even.
This part of the merge between Chrome OS and Android and is intended to replace Cros
What’s the catch
Its goog so:
Everything you want, except sudo! That’s freaking dangerous for you!
Isn’t that Termux?
Yes, except google is slowly killing Termux with a thousand cuts, while they will kill this only after a few years.
Google just doesn’t understand that they’re killing off the only people who want to buy their shitting products. How many people use Androids? How many people use Pixels? I would feel most people want these phones because we’re tech savvy people who don’t want the abstracted stuff Apple sells.
I thought Android’s market is people who don’t want to pay for iOS for various reasons, mostly due to cost.
Yes kinda. But if you buy the cheapest iphone and just use it until eol, it’s not too bad. Problem is the cheapest iphone, isn’t too cheap anymore.
There are way way more android phones in the world, but its mostly outside the US, so people pretend Apple is king.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/272698/global-market-share-held-by-mobile-operating-systems-since-2009/
They do? Can you elaborate?
Author faces regularly many issues when trying do make a new version of Termux to yet another set of googles demands or restrictions, sometimes unable to update play store version for years. As an (just) example, see this issue: https://github.com/termux/termux-packages/wiki/Termux-and-Android-10
Lil Debbie works on Android phones for quite a few years now, devs didn’t wait on google to chroot the hell out of android.
oh i like this.
too bad its still android with al there tracking and bloatware. Hopefully degoogled roms will follow
I’m pretty sure I saw this is going to work on graphene
Tested this on my Pixel 8a. Works as you would expect. Personally I have a little hard time coming up with use cases for this but I guess it’s kinda cool.
I have a phone that acts as a grid outage resistant p2p webserver. runs stuff like syncthing, briar mailbox, etc. i can see this being useful for that kinda stuff.
So does it run X? Or GNOME? Can you make a call from it? Can you receive a call? And does the internet work?
Termux can.
You can run a full GUI install of the distro of your choice and even vnc or rtp into it.
A bit tedious to set up, but follow the docs and it is no problem.
Nope. But as mentioned in the article, some support for display servers might be coming in Android 16.
Networking does work. I was able to install packages using apt and also ping machines on my local network. Could be useful.
I guess in a pinch it could be used to ssh into other machines. However, I’m sure there are plenty of SSH clients available for Android, which are much more lightweight solution than running a whole VM.
Looks very similar to termux
Probably hella nerfed in comparison.
It has been called 8 elite so that people think they bought an X elite?
That’s not very nice…
Does it have access to the same filesystem as Android? I’ve been looking for Android apps that can do something like dropbox’s “online only” feature. Most cloud storage providers offer that on desktop but I’ve never found one that works on Android. It’s just photo syncing or nothing usually, and even that doesn’t work like I want.
Also, can it run uninterrupted in the background or is android going to unceremoniously kill it randomly like it does with normal apps?
It has access to
/sdcardas a shared folder. And yes it can run in the background, though it’ll eat your battery if you keep it running for a while.How does this work? The app doesn’t seem to have any settings related to it yet. Under
/mntin the VM I noticed foldersharedthat seems to match the downloads folder on my phone, which seems odd…shit, I think you’re right, it might be the Downloads folder. Sorry! I’ll check mine next time I boot it up.
Would be nice to have some alternative for my Note 10+ that is no longer getting updates. Seems it’s not popular enough to have an EOL root/custom rom made, so it’s just stuck. Seems a waste for a device with decent CPU/GPU and 12gb ram.
Zomg, you have Lineage OS!
Your phone will feel snappier than ever, you’ll get latest Android stuff (I’m sure official support for 15 is coming), and security updates.
You can also easily google or degoogle it.
https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/d2s/
(Or if it’s the 5G variant)
Only if they have the Exynos variant. Won’t work on the Qualcomm variant, annoyingly.
Bingo, it’s the Qualcomm variant unfortunately.
Oh nyoo :(
This doesn’t sound like proper linux to me. I want to be able to plug in a USB (or what ever the storage device would be, microUSB for phones I guess) and boot from that. Where 1 image works for any device of the same architecture. This is the main thing I dislike about ARM currently.
How about multi-booting via Ventoy?
I don’t think anybody expected that. This is just a shitty headline.
Yeah, and I’ve never understood why that is. How come you have to build a custom hardware abstraction layer for each device separately on ARM chips?
Because it creates e-waste, and e-waste is immensely profitable.